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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27497239">Love, Pain, and Memories</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppylove7/pseuds/puppylove7'>puppylove7</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dirty Dancing (1987)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 02:24:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27497239</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppylove7/pseuds/puppylove7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After 20 years Baby finds that her longing to see Johnny again hasn't died down even a bit. She finds herself back at Kellerman's with her two children. Little did she know that Johnny too finds himself there at the same time. Reminiscing in the past, old feelings resurface between the two.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Johnny Castle/Frances "Baby" Houseman</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Yuletide 2020</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Love, Pain, and Memories</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/thepsychicclam/gifts">thepsychicclam</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Love, Pain, and Memories</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It has been about twenty years since Johnny and I had to go our separate ways. There isn't a day that passes that I don't think of him or all the things we did and the time that we spent together. While I have technically moved on with life, gotten married, have a son and a daughter, I now find myself divorced and a single lady longing for the love and compassion that I used to receive from Johnny. As much as I long for it, I know that things were not meant to be between us and I just need to let things go. That was what I was going to do, or so I thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I don't know why, but I had this sudden urge to take my kids and return to Kellerman's for a while. I have not been back there in quite some time. Honestly I don't think I have been back there since the time I met Johnny there. Going back will likely bring back old memories but maybe going back is just what I need to do to let go of the past. Maybe that is the reason I find myself wanting to go back after so long. Whatever the reason is I'm going back and that is that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I currently find myself sitting in the driver's seat of the car waiting on my daughter to come out of the house and I hear an exasperated whine come from the back seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Mom,  how much longer do we have to wait. I'm getting bored back here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Kids these days have no patience. We have only been waiting for ten minutes and he was already complaining about being bored.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>"Nicholas, we will be leaving as soon as your sister gets in here."</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I heard a groan come from behind me before Nicholas started complaining more.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you please make her hurry up? She is taking forever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I sighed as I gave in and did as my six year old son asked of me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isabella, are you almost ready? We are waiting on you, and your brother is getting rather impatient.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A few seconds later, I heard Isabella call out from inside the house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just need a couple more minutes. I can’t find my favorite pair of lavender sandals.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I knew this was going to take quite a bit longer if I didn’t get her to go without them or if I didn’t get out to help her find them. And the longer we wait, the more of a handful Nicholas is going to become.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seeing as I wasn’t going to be able to get Isabella to leave without those sandals, I got out of the car and headed back into the house to help search for the missing sandals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nicholas, wait here. Hopefully your sister and I will be out in a few minutes.” I told my son as I closed the car door behind me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As I made it into the house, I wasn’t surprised by what awaited me in my daughter’s bedroom. There in front of me were three luggage bags filled so full that they were barely able to be zipped shut. I couldn’t help but to question just how much he thought that she needed to take with her for a stay that would only last a few days. She was so much like my sister Lisa in that sense. I remember when we were here she did the same thing. I never understood why people tend to take so much with them when traveling, just take what you need for the amount of time you will be there and call it a day. But none of that matters now, all that matters is finding those sandals so we can get on the road.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isabella, where do you remember seeing the sandals last?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“In my closet, but they aren’t there. I have taken everything out and looked everywhere. They aren’t there. You haven’t seen them, have you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Clearly I had not seen them if I was asking where she had seen them last, but I guess that didn’t occur to the twelve year old in front of me.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No I haven’t seen them. That is why I’m helping you look for them.” I said as I started to look around her bed. Then it hit me, I had seen them recently</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Remembering that she had been wearing them in the backyard a couple days ago, I went to go have a look. Sure enough, sitting by the back door were the missing sandals.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isabella, I found your sandals. Now put them on and help me move your luggage to the car before your brother has a fit.” I said as I dropped the sandals in front of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright mom.” Isabella said as she put on her sandals and then grabbed one of the three bags, leaving me with the other two and headed out to the car where her brother was waiting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Moments later we had all the luggage in the trunk of the car, had everybody situated in the car, and were finally on the road, heading to Kellerman’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a very long three hours of listening to kids complaining about being bored and fighting over what was playing on the radio, we were finally at Kellerman’s. Things hadn’t really changed too much since the last time I had been here. There was still the big clubhouse where performances and other things were held and all the individual housing buildings for guests and employees. I found myself remembering some of the good times from last time I was here and some of the not so fun times as well.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Instead of standing there remembering things from my past, I found myself being pulled back to reality by two children complaining about just standing there and wanting to do something.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom, come on. We didn’t come here to stand around looking at the buildings all day. Let’s go to our quarters and put our stuff away. Maybe then we will be able to have some fun in this old rundown place. However, I doubt there will be anything that either Nicholas or I will like.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I just shook my head at what Isabella had just said, but I can’t blame her. I felt the same way when my parents brought me here all those years ago. But in the end, I did indeed find something that was of interest to me and that something was Johnny and dancing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Alright, come on.” I said as I led my two children to where we would be staying while we are here.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When we made it to the villa that we would be staying in, I was brought to realization that it was the one that I had stayed in with Lisa and my parents way back when. Just how I ended up in this one again was beyond me, but it would seem that something was going on. I mean why else would I have just suddenly gotten a sudden urge to come here and why would I just happen to be in the same villa as last time I was here?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I found myself wondering about all of those things as I stared out into the distance questioning if I was the only one who was drawn here today. Maybe it wasn’t me and that somehow Johnny would just show up out of nowhere. Now that is just wishful thinking. There isn’t anyway that something like that could happen. Or that is what I thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Suddenly I see somebody that looked a lot like Johnny coming out of the villa next door to the one I was currently staying in. He wasn’t alone though. With him were two children that looked close in age with my own kids, they could be a few years older than them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not being able to resist, I found myself rushing out the door leaving two very confused children behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Johnny!” I yelled out. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At first I thought that I may have had the wrong person, but when he turned to look in my direction, there was no mistaking it. That was Johnny.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Baby? Is that you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not being able to find the right words to say, I only nodded my head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was then that I heard a voice call out to me from behind.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mom, who is that man? Is he a friend of yours?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I had to think about how to answer that question for my six year old son. After a bit of thought, I figured out a good way to explain things to him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes Nicholas, he is a good friend of mine that I met here a long time ago.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I heard a snicker come from Isabella before she started speaking. Being older and knowing more about the world and how things work, Isabella knew better than to believe what it was that I had just told Nicholas.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good friend indeed. I bet it was more than just good friends.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I shot her a warning look and she shut her mouth instantly. I then looked back over to where Johnny was and saw he was in a similar situation. It would seem that he too was questioned about who I was and that the older of the two kids was very much like Isabella in the sense of pointing out that there was more that I was letting on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Wanting to be able to spend some time with Johnny to catch up after all these years, I looked to Isabella and Nicholas.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Go out and have some fun. But please stay out of trouble and be back for dinner.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The two nodded as they left, closing the door behind them. I didn’t know what it was that they had in mind, but I’m sure that they will find something to do. I for one had somebody that I wanted to spend some much needed alone time with and that is what I’m going to do.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When I knew that I was safe and that my kids were not around anymore, I started to head over to Johnny who I had just watched send his kids off too. Even after all these years, we still thought a lot alike.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Johnny, what are you doing here?” I asked him as I wrapped my arms around him enjoying the warmth that I had not had in so long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I am not sure to be honest. I just got this feeling that I needed to come here. Why are you here?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Seriously? That was his reason for being here? I can’t say anything about that because that was my reason too. Was it just a mere coincidence that we both ended up here today, or was it something akin to fate that landed us both here today? I didn’t know, but I do know that I couldn’t be happier.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I just had this feeling that I needed to be here too. I had absolutely no idea that I would ever run into you here. How have you been all these years? What have you been up to?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny looked away from me and didn’t answer right away, but he didn’t have to in order for me to know that I had just asked a question on a touchy topic. I didn’t know if he would tell me anything. But to my surprise, he did.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have been okay at best. I was able to secure a job in a major that I was alright with. While there I managed to find a woman had attracted my attention. We ended up settling down and having two children together. Sadly, we lost her last year due to breast cancer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hearing that last part left me feeling sorry for him. Here I was feeling quite happy, but he was probably still mourning the loss of his wife.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I'm sorry to hear that. It sounds like you were actually happy with how your life was.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny looked at me again, but to my surprise, his eyes weren’t filled with sadness like I was expecting. He seemed to be happy enough to me. Could it have something to do with being with me.?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I was happy with my life. I couldn’t have asked for anything much better than what I had. Have you not been happy with your life as it has been?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Honestly, I wasn’t exactly happy with my life. I thought I was at first, but later I found that I wasn’t.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I could have been much happier if I had been less blind to what was going on around me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you mean by that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I wasn’t sure if I should really dump this on Johnny, but he did ask and I did feel the need to talk about it. I have kept it bottled up inside for too long.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you see when I graduated from college, I met this guy. I fell in love with what I thought was his sweet, charming personality. I thought he was the one that I would be able to spend my life with, but I was wrong. He was hiding the fact that he was an abusive asshole. It took several years of being beat and watching my two children that I had with him be beat to finally realize that I had to get out of that situation.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There was more to the story that I had left out. The part about even though I was married, there was never a time that I didn’t think of him and how I always longed to be in his arms and loved by him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>I was debating on whether I should say anything else, but he spoke before I could come to a decision.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m glad that you and your kids are safe and out of that situation. If I were there, I would have done everything I could to have helped you. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If you were there, I wouldn’t have been with that guy in the first place. I would have been with you. I never wanted to split ways with you and have longed to see you since the day I left here. There wasn’t ever a time when you weren’t on my mind.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When I realized that I had let that slip out without meaning to, I felt very ashamed and embarrassed at the same time. It was wrong to go saying things like that to a man that was previously in a good, happy relationship and was obviously over you.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But those feelings disappeared the instant I found myself back in his arms again. Then I heard him say something that I never thought that I would hear again in my life, at least not from him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I have longed to see you since that day as well. Even though I was happy with my life, I couldn’t help but to question if I would have been happier with you by my side.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After hearing him say that, I did something that I probably shouldn’t have done. I found myself throwing myself on him and smothering his lips with my own. I shouldn’t have done it, but honestly, it doesn’t seem like he cared that I did because the instant my lips hit his, he reciprocated. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Johnny and I spent the rest of the day together reminiscing on the times we spent together in the past, how our lives were from that point on, and well pretty much anything that came to mind. I was so happy to have been able to see him again after all this time and while I’m not sure where things will go from here, I hope that I will be able to spend the rest of my life with the man that was currently sitting at my side.</span>
</p>
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